When You are at your Wits End Part 1

Have you ever had a time in your life when you were at your wits end?
I have.

"God certainly hates everything that causes us pain, whether it may be imprisonment or illness or a storm of some kind. But He knows that lesser pain is a necessary part of avoiding far deeper pain later. I hurts to pull out a thorn, but the pain of leaving it would cause the deeper agony of infection. God knows that He has to pull out a few thorns occasionally, and we'll cry out in pain and even anger at Him. But it's all for a purpose.
God knows, even if we don't, that we're not self-sufficient. He loves to bring us to our knees in fresh dependence on Him. If only peace-time prayers carried the intensity of storm-tossed prayers! If only we could seek Him with the passion that possesses us when we feel trapped and desperate. God hears those passionate prayers. And He provides the peace that can be found nowhere else...
'He calms the storm, so that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet' ~Psalm 107:29-30

To say that we began to praise God would be an understatement. When you come out of a storm in which all had seemed lost, and God does something magnificent, the worship is unforgettable! That's known as a happy ending. Do you still have doubts that your story will have one? Perhaps the storm is raging for you as you read these words. Perhaps you're lost in a wilderness of shattered hope, or shut away in a prison of debt. Perhaps you face a hospital ward of health concerns, or family problems are rocking your boat and you feel you'll be lost forever.
Wherever you are, whatever the crisis may be, there is an important principle at work. If you feel helpless, you've become eligible for the assistance of God. You need only cry out for His salvation. He will do the rest in His time, and He'll do it well.
When the storm is over, you'll be a new creature-wiser, stronger, and ready to serve Him. The sea will be calm, the breeze will be soft, and the silence will present itself as a sanctuary for you to exalt His name and sing His glorious praises. If He can control the storm, what other wonderful works might He bring to pass in your life?"

~Excerpt from "When your world falls apart" by David Jeremiah

Homemaker-In-Training

I found this on a blog that I follow, so I thought I'd share it.

The opportunities that we have as
homemakers-in-training are abounding everywhere we look.
Whether a daily task such as laundry folding, a
weekly culinary duty such as baking bread, a bi-weekly errand to the grocery
store or a seemingly "mundane" job (like scrubbing the household toilets), we
have every opportunity imaginable to exercise and practice skills while we are
yet "in training".
But there is more to being a homemaker, than the
jobs which we can do. Young Ladies, it has to do with our hearts. And it is our
choice. Will we perform our homemaker duties with joy and delight
in each task (which includes scrubbing the crummiest of toilets), or will we
choose to frown upon these daily opportunities? Will we choose a servants
heart or will we try to minimize the effect of being a
blessing?
We can make a whole house sparkle from top to
bottom but if our heart isn't full of love from Christ, then that perfect house
means nothing. We can make a delicious supper for our family, or run an errand
for Mom, but if our hearts are grumbling then our act that could have been a
blessing, means nothing.

We can garden, can, clean, sew, take care of
babies, run errands, meet every agricultural farm need, whip out loads of
laundry in lightning speed, and make a mean pot of soup BUT if our heart is not
thankful to the Lord for the blessing of being a homemaker in training, if we
are not grateful and full of joy at our Proverbs 31 calling, then what a waste
of the opportunity that the Lord gives us as women!
The choice is yours - do you find JOY in being a
homemaker?!!

Surrendering

What does it mean to Surrender?

sur·ren·der

1. To relinquish possession or control of to another because of demand or compulsion.

2. To give up in favor of another.

3. To give up or abandon: surrender all.

4. To give over or resign (oneself) to something, as to an emotion: surrendered himself to grief.

There was a time in my life when I couldn't take it anymore. That's when I finally came to a complete stop and asked God to take it all. I surrendered to Him.
God wants all of our burdens, worries, and cares.
Let's imagine this...you tell God, "Please take the worries off of my mind. I surrender," then God answers you back and says, "I don't want just your worries, I want ALL of your stress, worries, fears, and cares. Can you give that to me?"
"But God, I want to keep control over that part of my life."
"Then why are you surrendering, if you don't really mean it?"
"I do mean it, but I want that part of my life."
So you want me to be in control of only 5% of your life?"
"Well when you put it that way, it sounds bad."
"But, that's what your telling me."
"What do you want from me?"
"I want you to surrender to me. Give everything to me."
Then, there's a long pause of silence between you two. After the pause you sigh and say, "Okay God...you can have all of me. I surrender to you, who loves me more than life."
And then, you break down and cry, because you know that he is now in control of your life.
He now cradles you in His hand, and you feel peace.
Surrender to Him, and you will be blessed!

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light."
~Matthew 11:28-30

Too Blessed to be Stressed!

Too Blessed To Be Stressed

I'm Too Blessed To Be Stressed,
Too Anointed To Be Disappointed
I refuse to be discouraged,
to be sad or to cry.
I refuse to be downhearted
and here's the reason why:

I have a God who is almighty;
who is sovereign and supreme;
I have a God who loves me,
and I am on His team.

He is all wise and powerful;
Jesus is His Name;
though everything else is changeable,
My God remains the same.

I refuse to be defeated!
My eyes are on my GOD!
He has promised to be with me,
as through this life I trod.

I am looking past my circumstances,
to Heaven's throne above.
My prayers have reached the heart of God.
I am resting in His Love.

I give thanks to Him in everything.
My eyes are on His face.
The battle is His; the victory is mine;
He will help me win the race!

I repeat, "I'M TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!"

~ Eric Geoffrey Plott ~
Copyright © 2010
All Rights Reserved

The Encounter

We watched a movie last week called, “The Encounter”.
In this movie there was a broken down girl, a black couple wanting a divorce, a young lady who was about to get engaged, and a man whom is full of pride and money.
There was a bridge out, and so a police officer, told them to all turn around.
All of these people find shelter in a Diner a mile or so down the road, and their waiter (the only man that works/owns the place) happens to be Jesus himself.
Jesus talks to all of them about their lives, and about how God had prevented death, or something else from happening in each of their lives.
At the end, the couple decides against divorce, the young lady decides (after much advice from Jesus) to not marry this man that she “Loves” because he is not a Christian, and the broken down girl decides to go back home and tell the police officer everything that she’s been through with her parents, so that her dad can go to jail. (Jesus told her that her dad was going to have to learn a lesson from all of his disobedience)
You might have noticed that I didn’t say anything about the man whom was full of pride. Well, the man, (no matter how hard Jesus tried to reach out to him) refused Jesus’ help. Satan (whom was disguised as a police officer, who told them the bridge was out) tells the man the bridge is back up, and the man follows him out the door. Unfortunately, the man went around the curb too fast, fell into a ditch, and died instantly. During this part of the movie, Jesus quoted from John 10 (I think)

John 10:11-18
¹¹ “…I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. ¹² He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. ¹³ He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. ¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, ¹⁵ even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. ¹⁷ For this reason the Father loves Me, because I lay down My life so that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father.”

...in today's culture, there are many people who claim to know Christ (just like the man whom was led astray) and yet are deceived. If we just listen to God's voice (the voice of the Shepherd) than we will know true peace, and we will be a sheep that follows the Shepherd.

God's New Year

A new year started.
A time to re-think,
And a time to ponder.

What is your New Year's Resolution? I would love to get some comments!!!
My Year's New Resolution is simply this... Love! Love my siblings, and my parents even more. I know that time is precious, and sooner or later, I might be married. So, enjoy it while I can.

A New Year's Poem for Christians:
Instead of making a New Year's resolution
Consider committing to a biblical solution
Your promises are easily broken
Empty words, though earnestly spoken
But God's Word transforms the soul
By His Holy Spirit making you whole
As you spend time alone with Him
He will change you from within
-- Mary Fairchild